TAKING A STAND

Biden to Slap Sanctions on Cuban Officials Over Protest Crackdown

The president has faced pressure to hold Cuban officials accountable for human-rights violations.

President Biden will impose sanctions on Cuban officials following attacks on protestors, The Washington Post reports. The move, which was expected to be announced as soon as Thursday, comes as Biden has faced pressure from lawmakers to hold Cuban officials accountable for human rights abuses. Cubans have been taking to the streets to protest deteriorating living conditions on the island nation—which have worsened amid COVID-19—and some demonstrators have been attacked by government forces. The Biden administration has also been urged to create private internet networks that will allow Cubans to communicate without fear of surveillance from the communist government. The sanctions, which are permitted by the Global Magnitsky Act, will target a group of people from the country’s “Interior Ministry and military forces,” the Post reports.